1. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to mower cutting decks having one or more cutting chambers, and more specifically, to an apparatus for removing debris from an underside of the chamber or chambers.
2. Description of Related Art
Mower decks having one or more cutting chambers surrounding a rotatable cutting blade are typically used to provide grounds care by both individuals and professional servicers. Such care ordinarily includes the cutting of lawns in a variety of conditions and often in situations where the grass is wet. The cutting of wet grass gives rise to the problem of the clippings sticking to the underside of the cutting chamber as well as the downwardly extending walls which enclose the chamber. The accumulation of this moistened grass tends to create several notable problems. First, the clippings sometimes fall from the chamber in clumps on the newly cut lawn, thereby deteriorating its appearance. Second, in mowers having discharge chutes, clogging of the chutes hampering delivery of clippings to a collection bag is often a problem requiring disassembly of various parts to remove the collected debris. Third, grass accumulated on the inside of the chamber interferes with the flow of clippings capable of leaving the chamber tending to disrupt the mower's even cutting pattern. Fourth, buildup of wet clippings presents a potential for deterioration of metal chambers due to rust. Fifth, clippings which adhere to an inside of the chamber are sometimes the source of an unpleasant odor disrupting the usual storage place of the mower.
In an attempt to address the removal of the accumulated debris referenced above, the prior art has offered a common solution to clean the underside surfaces of a cutting chamber. The solution involves injecting a cleaning agent, such as water, into the chamber while the blades are or are not engaged. To do this, what has been suggested is an apparatus including a port to which a spray nozzle, of varying design(s), is attached. When the port is positioned on an outside surface of the chamber, the nozzle is inserted through a single opening placed on the top surface or in a side surface of the cutting chamber. After being positioned through the opening, the nozzle is mounted above the cutting blade. Water is then supplied to the chamber by an ordinary garden hose connected to the port and thus, the nozzle. Dependent upon the particular design of the nozzle and upon engagement or non-engagement of the mower blade, water is introduced into the cutting chamber. Distribution of the water can then be assisted by rotation of the blades, if desired to create a scouring effect and thereby clean the underside surfaces.
This solution, however, requires the use of multiple hoses and/or connections when a user desires to wash the underside surfaces of more than one chamber simultaneously. Utilizing such a system of multiple connections may lower water pressure capable of being delivered to the chambers and thereby, result in ineffective washing of the chamber. With this solution, the user is required to connect the hose to each port separately in order to enable the cleaning of the multi-chamber cutting deck. Accordingly, providing a design intended to clean only a single chamber can result in an unwanted expenditure of time, effort, and money since it will be necessary to undertake the cleaning of each chamber separately.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a means to clean a multi-chamber cutting deck simultaneously, effectively and which can easily be made integral with the deck.